At our best, poets write with an awareness and a respect for those who came before. On this Día de Los Muertos, November 2nd, I share the link to three recently published poems at Spoken Black Girl Mag. The editors gifted me with this introduction: “Safia’s work speaks to that connection to the otherworldly, the deep recesses of our collective memories and the power of the imaginative spirit to heal.” I invite you to read the full introduction and all three poems when you have a quiet moment to yourself. Take care.

Here I am, filming a segment for the CUNY TV series “Shades of U.S.” Gratitude to the producer Darrell Brown, pictured above, for helping me to tell my story as a poet from a multiracial family. UPDATE: The show will air October 18th, 2018 and streaming on October 19th onward. More info: http://tv.cuny.edu/show/shadesofus/PR2007865

I invite you to read my poem in the latest issue of Under a Warm Green Linden, an online journal with a long and lovely name that plants trees. My poem is titled “This Old House” and it was partly inspired by a certain 1980s TV show on PBS that was hosted by Bob Vila. Well, at least, that is the conceit. I don’t want to perpetuate gender stereotypes here, but based on my anecdotal experience sharing it on Twitter, I’ve noticed that this poem resonates most with dudes. Whatever your gender, thanks for reading. Click on the little button and you can hear me read the poem rather dramatically as well. -Safia

P.S. Did you know that Linden trees are edible and soothe a sore throat? I just learned that.

BOMB Magazine has graciously published three of my poems: “South with Wildflowers,” “Self-Portrait as an Agnes Martin Painting,” and “The Victorian Era.” As for this photo, I took it in the City of New Orleans public park a couple years ago, and this is what inspired the line: “I tend to my fallacies like this field of yellow petals.”